Former U.S. Secretary of State Kissinger, the main character of “pingpong diplomacy,” was met by Xi Jinping
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger yesterday (20th) amid the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and China.
Former Minister Kissinger, who visited China at the age of 100, is considered the top senior U.S. diplomat as he opened the door to exchanges between the two countries in the 1970s during the Cold War.
Under the leadership of former Minister Kissinger, the U.S. table tennis team visited China in 1971 and exchanges between the two countries began, which is called “ping pong diplomacy.”
This led to a historic meeting between President Richard Nixon and President Mao Zedong the following year, and became the springboard for official diplomatic relations in 1979.